LOCAL/sIrAirt
Lecturer receives
leadership award
Robert Williams, an adjunct lecturer
in the University's School of Public
Health, has received the John G.
Weigenstein Leadership Award for
,outstanding contributions to the co-
tse from the American College of
:Emergency Physicians.
Through his health policy research,
Williams has made significant contri-
butions in educating his colleagues on
the role of emergency medicine in a
;reformed health care system,the ACEP
said.
Lead poisoning
rises in Africa
Recent studies show that more than
90 percent of the children in urban and
rural communities of the Cape Prov-
ince of South Africa have blood lead
levels higher than 10 micrograms per
deciliter. Guidelines published by the
Centers for Disease Control say more
than 10 micrograms per deciliter is a
health risk for children.
Many U.S. children had levels this
trigh during the late 1970s and early
1980s, Jerome Nriagu, professor of en-
vironmental and industrial health, said
'in a statement.
SReducedleadingasoline,housepaint,
drinking water and consumer products
helped reduce U.S. children's blood
lead levels, he said.
*,In Africa, environmental problems,
lack ofeducation and otherhealth prob-
lems people are less aware of the dan-
ger of lead poising. Nriagu presented
phis findings at the American Public
-Health Association meeting yesterday
in San Diego.
Some youngsters
imitate alcohol use
A University School ofNursing study
of 1,314 fourth-graders found that 2.2
percent reported having more than one
or more drinks of alcohol per week.
The fourth-graders who drank cited
peer pressure, friends who use alcohol
and permissive parents. Students who
were more likely to say no to a drink
were considered popular and had sup-
portive families.
Thirty-eight percent of the children
reported having had a drink of alcohol,
but for most, this meant having tried or
tasted a drink, usually with parents, and
were considered non-drinkers.
The study was headed by Carol J.
Loveland-Cherry, associate professor
of nursing. She presented her findings
at the American Public Health Associa-
tion meeting Tuesday in San Diego.
Breast cancer
seminar scheduled
"The Role of Exercise in Breast Can-
cer Recover" will be the topic of a
seminar sponsored by the Michigan
Initiative for Women's Health at noon
next Wednesday.
The research, funded by MIWH in
11994, was conducted by Michelle Segar,
a graduate student in the University's
School of Public Health, and Victor
Katch,aprofessorofKinesiology. Segar
will present findings on the role of
exercise in recovery from breast cancer
surgery as it relates to depression, anxi-
ety and self-esteem.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Cathy Boguslaski
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 2, 1995 - 3A
Multiple-offenders
plague DUI laws
NOPPORN KICHANANHA/Daity
State Rep. Liz Brater and state Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith speak at a forum in the Michigan League last night. They and Rep.
Mary Schroer urged women to get Involved in politics, a field in which the three said women are under-represented.
Female legislators urge women
to get inoled n overnmnAJLt
I Laws seem to be
cutting down on drunk
driving in Michigan
By Jeff Eldridge
Daily Staff Reporter
Drunk drivers convicted of repeated
violations are an albatross around the
neck of Michigan's otherwise success-
ful 1992 drunk-driving statutes, a re-
cent University study found.
"In drinking and driving, what we
found was there is still a problem with
multiple offenders," said David Eby,
an assistant research scientist at the
University's Transportation Research
Institute.
Eby's study of56 drunk drivers con-
victed in 1992 and 1993 found that
about 45 percent of those convicted
had at least one other drinking-and-
driving conviction in the past 10 years.
Fifteen percent had at least two prior
alcohol-related convictions during that
time.
In 1992 and 1993, the state ofMichi-
gan convicted thousands of people for
drinking-and-driving violations.
"The laws in Michigan seem to be
working for most of the population,"
Eby said.
Marvin Tauriainen, community re-
lations director at the Washtenaw
Council on Alcoholism, applauded
what the 1992 law seems to be doing.
"I think it has cut down on the people
who are drinking and driving," he said.
"Consumption, as we know, is down."
Eby said that college-age drivers
make up a significant portion of driv-
ers being prosecuted for drunk driv-
ing. "The younger drivers are overrep-
resented. ... They're about twice as
likely to be convicted of a drunk-driv-
ing arrest."
Tauriainen said repeat drunk-driv-
ing offenses go hand-in-hand with the
typical symptoms of alcoholism.
"In our experience with alcoholics,
there is nothing that indicates to them
they're too drunk to drive, in spite of
the consequences," Tauriainen said.
He also said that a social drinker
would be more likely to be aware of his
or her inability to drive and seek assis-
tance.
Tauriainen added some alcoholic
drivers may be operating their vehicle
while under a blackout.
ElainedCharney, director of -he
Driver's License Appeals Division for
the Michigan's Secretary of State's
Office, said that Michigan is on' the
leading edge of states looking to curb
drinking and driving.
"We're doing better than the rest6f
the nation, and that's obviously en-
couraging because it means we'reS4.
ing lives," Charney said..;
Nationally, 42 percent of fat~Iftr
accidents are drinking-related:.;I
Michigan, the rate is 37 percent.-
Charney said Michigan is both bl-
rowing ideas found successful in other
states and experimenting with now
ones. "We can't be reinventing the
wheel if it's out there and successfut°'
she said.
Charney said the recent declines are
part of a 10-year effort. She said there
were no immediate plans to directy
address the repeat-offender proble.
"There's only so much you can do in
a statue," she said, emphasizing the
need for localities to assert control and
judges to enforce strict rehabilitation
as part of a convict's sentence.
Eby's study found that 55 percent of
the drunk drivers in the sample were
involved in at least one previous crash,
30 percent were driving with a: rg-
stricted, suspended, revoked orexpirel
license, 88 percent of convicted drunk
drivers become intoxicated in public,
and 93 percent of arrests take place
between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on week-
ends.
Eby recommends that the minimum
blood-alcohol level for drunk driving
be lowered from .10 percent to- .08
percent. Some foreign countries =and
other states punish drivers for levels as
low as .02 percent.
Additional ideas include the seizure
or immobilization of the offender's
vehicle, specially coded license plates,
changes in the process teen-agersun-
dergo to receive their first licenseland
additional driver checkpoints.
By Kate Glickman
Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor area's three female
state legislators urged women last night
to get involved in politics so they can
continue changing government.
State Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith and
Reps. Liz Brater and Mary Schroer, all
Democrats, spoke to a small group in
the Michigan League about their expe-
riences in politics as women and urged
female audience members to get in-
volved.
"You are either acting in politics or
politics is acting on you," Smith said.
All three expressed frustration with
working in fields where women are
under-represented.
"They can't hear our voices," said
Smithspeaking of herexperience work-
ing with men in the state Senate.
"People always refer to women as a
minority. We are not aminority. We are
a majority," Brater said.
Smith said that many times women
initiate ideas only to be ignored while
the same ideas brought to the table by
men will be heard and addressed.
Brater added that many decisions are
made by male legislators "at the bar."
She said women are not invited to the
bar and ifthey show up, the men "aren't
sure they want them there."
The social factors that deter women
from entering politics are compli-
cated, said Brater, a former Ann Ar-
bor mayor.
"The same behaviors that are favor-
able in men are not accepted in women,"
she said.
For this reason, women are not en-
couraged to become involved in poli-
tics, Brater said.
"Maybe it's a little embarrassing for
us to call attention to ourselves," Brater
said. Women have been socialized to
"be seen and not heard," she said.
The lawmakers were also concerned
about politics in general as they are all
Democrats and do not have majority
status in the Legislature.
"We are in a bit of a retreat," Brater
said.
"Voters age 18-20 sat at home. Mi-
norities sat at home. If we don't get our
colleagues and friends involved, we
will continue to be run by an oligarchy
and special interest groups," Smith
said.
However, things have gotten much
better for women in politics during the
last 10 years, Schroer said.
"You are either
acting in politics
or politics is
acting on you. "
- Alma Wheeler Smith
State senator
"Women in Congress have allowed
men to show a softer side," she said.
Men are now able to speak on issues
such as domestic violence and women's
health, Schroer said.
Despite some frustrations they've
had, all three women encouraged fe-
male college students to be confident
that they have something to say and
take advantage of opportunities to run
for office.
The forum, sponsored by the Michi-
gan Student Assembly's Women's Is-
sues Commission and Michigan League
Programming, is a preview to a series
dedicated to women's issues beginning
next term.
The series will include weekly speak-
ers, a national speaker, a women's band
and a women's film.
iiU
Construction workers injured in explosion
EAST LANSING (AP)-Six construction workers tunneling
under a major East Lansing street escaped serious injury yester-
day after an explosion flashed through the tunnel they were in.
East Lansing officials late yesterday were still trying to find
out what caused the 7 a.m. explosion in a 13-foot-tall sewer
tunnel being dug under the road that separates downtown East
Lansing from Michigan State University.
Six of the nine people working in the tunnel were injured in
the blast, said Tom DiPonio, president of Jay Dee Contractors.
Two were treated for their injuries and released. Four others
were taken to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, where one was in
fair condition and three were in good condition. Those hospital-
ized suffered first- and second-degree burns, DiPonio said.
The six men could have climbed the 35 feet to the road's
surface and exited through man holes at several points in the
tunnel. But all six escaped by walking 2,000 feet toward the
tunnel's entrance and then using a mining train to travel the
remaining 6,500 feet, DiPonio said.
"They did exactly what they had rehearsed and been told to
do," said East Lansing spokeswoman Judith Taran. "As far as
we can tell, all safety procedures were in place. There were no
gas readings in the tunnel before the explosion."
The men took about 16 minutes to escape from the tunnel,
she said. Emergency medical crews from East Lansing, Lan-
sing and Meridian Township were waiting at the tunnel's
entrance to help the injured.
Although the explosion was not heard above ground, the
men used mine telephones in the tunnel to notify other Jay Dee
workers that they were hurt and on their way out.
"They were in constant communication," said East Lansing
Deputy Fire Chief Joe Clevenger, who headed the rescue
effort. "They told us what kind of injuries they sustained so we
were completely ready for them."
Investigators said they would have to inspect air monitoring
equipment and speak to the injured workers before they knew
what caused the flash fire.
After ventilation fans flushed the air in the tunnel for several
hours yesterday morning, firefighters, Jay Dee workers and
state inspectors wearing special tunnel gear climbed down to
check for damage and possible causes for the explosion.
"(They) found only minor damage to the tunnel and no
damage to the boring machine," Taran said. "And no gas."
An inspector from the Michigan Occupational Safety and
Health Administration office inspected the tunnel yesterday
afternoon, but couldn't see much because lights in the tunnel still
were shut off.
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What's happening in Ann Arbor today
GROUP MEETINGS
Q AIESEC Michigan, International
Student Happy Hour, 662-1690,
Ann Arbor Brewing Company, 9
p.m.
Q Archery Club, 930-0189, Sports
Coliseum, Hill Street, 7-9 p.m.
Q Campus Crusade for Christ, Real
Life, 930-9269, Dental Building,
Kello gg Auditorium, 7-8:15 p.m.
Q Muslim StudentsmAssociation,
meeting and halaqa, 665-6416,
Rackham Assembly Hall, 7 p.m.
EVENTS
Q "Bake Your Own Challah and
Watch the Shows," sponsored
by Hillel, Hillel Building, Hill
Street, 7-11 p.m.
U "Careers in Health: Nurse Prac-
titioner, Physician Assistant,
Athletic Trainer," sponsored by
Career Planning and Place-
ment, CCRB, 7:10-8:30 p.m.
Q "Dia De Los Muertos Art Ex-
hibit," sponsored by La Voz
Mexicana, Michigan Union,
tion Session," sponsored by Ca-
reer Planning and Placement,
Business School, Phelps Lounge,
4:30-6 p.m.
0 "MDs and DOs: Similarities and
Differences," sponsored by Career
Planning and Placement, 3200
Student Activities Building, 4:10-
5 p.m.
U "Nicholas Delbanco, Lorna
Goodison, Lemuel Johnson and
Tish O;Dowd Reading From
Their Works," Writers Harvest
for SOS, sponosred by Depart-
ment of English and Borders
Books, Rackham
Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m.
U "Optical Tweezers and Laser in-
terferometry Used to Study
Macromolecular Dynamics,"
physical/analytical seminar,
Prof. Christoff Schmidt, spon-
sored by Department of Chem-
istry, Chemistry Building, Room
1640, 4 p.m.
U "Orality Studies and Rabbinic
LitArnture: Redescribing the
North Dixboro Road, 7:30-9 p.m.,
free but reservations required, call
973-7377 for more information
Q "The National Space Science
Data Center," Dr. James Green,
sponsored by Department of
Atmospheric, Oceanic and
Space Sciences, Francis Xavier
Bagnold Building, Boeing Audi-
torium, 4 p.m.
U "The 'Pure Way of Men' and 'im-
pure Man-Sex' According to
Minakata Kumagusu and Iwata
Jun'ichi, with a Note on Stray
Cats and Freckled Boys in Ann
Arbor, ca. 1980," Gail M.
Nomura, sponsored by Center
for Japanese Studies, Lane Hall
Commons Room, 12 noon
STUDENT SERVICES
U Campus Information Centers, Michi-
gan Union and North Campus Com-
mons, 763-INFO, info@umich.edu,
UMeEvents on GOpherBLUE, and
http://www.umich.edu/~info on
the World Wide Web
WHEN YOU SAW
TORI AMOS,
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COUN3 TING CROW'S
ON TOUR LAST
YEAR
did you have a
dog (Eye ve w?
(reaturing Peter Stuart)
dogs eye VjeW
happy nowhere
THE DEBUT AL BUM*9
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FOR JUNIOR NURSING STUDENTS
A NURSING EXPERIENCE AT
MAYO FOUNDATION
HOSPITALS - ROCHESTER, MN
Here is your opportunity to work at Mayo Medical Center for
the summer.
Summer III is a paid, supervised hospital work experience at
Saint Marys Hospital and Rochester Methodist Hospital, both
part of Mayo Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota.
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